The Railway Touring Company · Escorted tour

Swiss Bernese Oberland

Swiss Bernese Oberland, a rail journey with The Railway Touring Company

Discover the outstanding natural beauty of Switzerland on this tour to the Bernese Oberland, famed for its shimmering lakes and soaring Alpine peaks, including the towering Jungfrau and the magnificent Eiger.

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Wengen

    Wednesday 24 June London to Wengen via Basel

    You travel First Class by Eurostar from London St. Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord. You then journey from Paris to Basel in Switzerland via Strasbourg. You join a high-speed service at Basel to Interlaken Ost, before continuing by regional train to Wengen. Here you check into the Arenas Resort Victoria-Lauberhorn Hotel, your base for the tour. A light dinner will be served at your hotel this evening. You'll also receive your 6-day Bernese Oberland Regional Pass for easy exploration of the surrounding areas.

  2. Day 2railovernight: Wengen

    Free day in Wengen

    After breakfast, you can either relax at the hotel and make use of its wonderful facilities or take a stroll through the village where the British allegedly 'invented' downhill ski racing. A more energetic option is to hike to one or more of the incredible local viewpoints. Another alternative is to use your Regional Pass to visit the Trummelbach Falls, a series of ten illuminated glacier-waterfalls inside a mountain, accessible only by a tunnel-lift. Yet another option is to visit the car-free village of Murren by cable and mountain railway from Lauterbrunnen, with views of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau. Dinner is served at your hotel this evening.

  3. Day 3railovernight: Wengen

    Lake Brienz Cruise; Steam on the Brienz Rothorn Railway

    This morning you travel by train to Interlaken to enjoy a leisurely steamship cruise on Lake Brienz to Brienz at its eastern end. You join a steam train on the 800mm gauge Brienz Rothorn Railway (BRB), Switzerland's oldest rack railway and climb 1,678 metres (5,505 ft) from Brienz to Rothorn Kulm Station, just below the summit of Brienz Rothorn Mountain. After free time at the summit to enjoy lunch, you return to Brienz for an exclusive visit to the BRB depot to view the locomotives and workshop facilities there. In the afternoon you return to Wengen by train where you can relax before dinner is again served in your hotel restaurant.

  4. Day 4railovernight: Wengen

    Excursion to Jungfraujoch and the 'Top of Europe'

    A real tour highlight awaits today on a trip to the famous Jungfraujoch and the 'Top of Europe'. You'll travel by train to Kleine Scheidegg before joining a JB train en route to the highest railway station in Europe. The train stops twice at points where there are large windows in the rock face for passengers to admire the views. The 'Top of Europe' itself is a high-altitude building connected to the underground Jungfraujoch Railway Station by a tunnel. There's a choice of restaurants in which to take lunch, and a permanent exhibition about the Jungfrau Railway and the Alps. For the return back to Wengen you can either travel the same route back to Wengen or travel from Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald at leisure, then make your way back to Wengen via Lauterbrunnen. On your return dinner will be served at the hotel.

  5. Day 5railovernight: Wengen

    Bern Steam Tram; Cruise on Lake Thun

    Today you travel by train to the Swiss capital, Bern, for a two-hour tour of the city by legendary steam tram. The metre gauge 0-6-0 tramway locomotive pulls a classic wooden carriage with open-ended balconies. You'll pass many of Bern's historic landmarks, including the famous Zytglogge clock tower. In the afternoon there's time to visit the shops along the arcaded walkways, or the famous Bear Park and nearby River Aare. Later, you'll take a service train to Thun to board a boat for the onward journey. Cruising along Lake Thun you have uninterrupted views of famous mountain peaks like the Niederhorn, Niesen, and Jungfrau. You then disembark at Interlaken West Railway Station and return by train to Wengen.

  6. Day 6railovernight: Wengen

    Free day to visit the Schilthorn or use your Regional Pass

    Today you have the choice to visit the summit of the Schilthorn, overlooking the valley of Lauterbrunnen and reached by a cable car from the village of Murren. At the summit there's a panoramic revolving restaurant, Piz Gloria, once the location of a James Bond film, and free entrance to the Bond World interactive exhibition, entry is included with your Berner Oberland Pass. Alternatively, you can use your regional pass to visit Lucerne. The city is located on Lake Lucerne, in sight of Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi in the Swiss Alps. You'll get to Interlaken using WAB and BOB trains from where metre gauge Zentralbahn express trains go direct to Lucerne, a great experience in itself. The route follows the scenic Brunig Line beside Lake Brienz and the River Aare to Meiringen, where the train reverses and climbs over the Brunig Pass using a rack system. The terminus station at Lucerne is opposite the landing stage from which passenger boats, including paddle steamers, serve lakeside communities. The Chapel Bridge is a landmark of Lucerne and the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe. Other places of interest include the Old Town of Lucerne, the Lion Monument, and the Swiss Museum of Transport.

  7. Day 7railovernight: Wengen

    Excursion to Schynige Platte

    Today you enjoy an excursion to the Schynige Platte mountain area, famous for its wildflower gardens and views of the majestic mountain scenery. You travel by train to Wilderswil, the junction for the 800mm gauge Schynige Platte Railway from 1893, one of Switzerland's pioneering lines. The cog train climbs at a sedate 12 kph up to Schynige Platte, passing many panoramic viewpoints overlooking Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, eventually revealing the glistening giants of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau mountains to the south.

  8. Day 8rail

    Wednesday 1 July Return to UK

    After breakfast it is time to say your farewells and travel by regional trains to Interlaken. You then travel by express train from Interlaken to Basel before changing trains and continuing to Paris via Strasbourg. There you transfer to Paris Gare du Nord and take a Eurostar service back to London St. Pancras International.

Included

  • 7 nights at the Arenas Resort Victoria-Lauberhorn hotel, Wengen
  • 3 course dinners served every evening in the hotel restaurant
  • Eurostar Plus travel from London and First Class rail travel from Paris to Switzerland and return
  • A standard class Regional Pass valid for days 2 to 7 for travel around the Bernese Oberland
  • Schynige Platte excursion
  • Jungfraujoch excursion
  • Lake Brienz cruise
  • 2 hour steam tram charter in Bern
  • Brienz Rothorn steam excursion with guided depot visit
  • All seat reservations and transfers (except on free days)
  • The services of a Tour Manager

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